somewhere along the way, i should forget
by ladygalaxyj
Summary: Zelena's curse is about to strike the Enchanted Forest. Robin comes to see Regina as they don't know how much time they have left. Established FTL relationship. Outlaw Queen. Mild spoilers for 3x15 Quiet Minds.


**Summary:** _"Her majesty worries for her thief?" Robin teased her, trying to sound casual, but his voice didn't have its usual sparkle. He could never hide anything from her._

Zelena's curse is about to strike the Enchanted Forest. Robin comes to see Regina as they don't know how much time they have left. Established FTL relationship. Outlaw Queen. Mild spoilers for 3x15 Quiet Minds.

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**SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, I SHOULD FORGET**

There was another curse coming. Another curse that would once again erase their memories, and there was nothing they could do to stop it from happening.

Regina wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned away from her balcony, her heavy purple cloak swaying behind her. From her point of view over the kingdom, the Enchanted Forest was gloomy and silent - the calm before the storm.

She had tried to eliminate the witch, but Zelena had proved to be more powerful than she was. She hated to admit it, but the facts were there. Regina had confronted her and failed. The raw energy swirling around them had destroyed half the land. The once Evil Queen had been convinced she could defeat Zelena, but it turned out her own magic was useless against that of her green sister. Zelena was stronger, better trained, and Regina didn't stand a chance.

She sighed, feeling another tear threatening to roll down her cheek. Snow said it wasn't her fault, but Regina couldn't help feeling guilty. This new curse would destroy everything they had fought for. It would bring to ashes everything built in the past year, and it was her fault because she wasn't powerful enough to kill the witch.

Regina dragged her feet back inside her room heading for her desk. She felt ashamed of her weakness. It wasn't proper of a queen. She used to be indestructible, hard, audacious – the Evil Queen. She wasn't supposed to break at the mere thought of losing her memories. She was supposed to be better than this.

The opening doors to her chamber startled her, but a small smile found its way to her lips when she recognized the man who dared come in unannounced.

The moment was brief though, as his features were severe. A frown quickly replaced the smile on her face as she walked up to him. "Bad news, I take it?" She didn't need to ask. She could read it in his eyes, but she did anyway.

Robin took her hand and guided her to the bed. They sat down together on the edge, as he dropped his bow and quiver to the ground. He turned to face her, and she noticed the fresh scratch next to his ear. She gasped and lifted her hand to reach it, but he had anticipated her movement. He caught her hand in his. "It's fine," he dismissed it.

"No, it's not." She shook her hand away from his grasp and turned his head to have a better look at his injury. To his credit, it did look pretty superficial, but she used her magic to heal his wound anyway. Her hand stayed on his skin longer than necessary, and she kissed his cheek tenderly.

"Her majesty worries for her thief?" Robin teased her, trying to sound casual, but his voice didn't have its usual sparkle. He could never hide anything from her.

Her eyes found his, and she found her worry mirrored in his intense gaze. "How long do we have?"

"Not much," he replied, agitated. He got up and walked a few feet away. "I heard the Charmings talking," he offered as an introduction. "The last knights they sent never came back to the castle. The forest has never been so dangerous." He turned on his heels to face her. "Word is she is almost ready," he reported, his voice lower than usual.

Regina pushed herself off the mattress to follow him and took his hands in hers. "I don't want to forget you," she confessed with an unsteady voice, her earlier fears resurging.

Robin squeezed her hands and smiled. "None of that," he said shaking his head. "Besides," he added, stressing every word, "we will always find each other."

All her fears evaporated in moments as the expression on her face changed to annoyance. She stopped breathing for a second and gaped at him, baffled by his boldness, "You did not just say that."

Robin burst out laughing. "It worked though, didn't it?"

"It worked at making me angry."

"Ohhh, don't be a spoilsport Regina. You deserve the same kind of romance as the other royals," he smirked, defying her with his eyes.

"No, I don't," she replied abruptly, resisting the urge to give him the sharp edge of her tongue. She knew exactly what he was doing, and what annoyed her more than his cheesy remark was that it has done its job. It had cleared away most of the worry she had. Still, she wouldn't let him get away that easily. She stared right back at him, determined to not let him win.

Truth was she never could be angry with him. In a year, they went from barely tolerating one another to learning they were soulmates. Not only because of the lion tattoo he sported on his forearm but because he did what no one else could in this land. He made her happy.

"Seriously though, I'm not even worried about us," he added, changing the subject.

Regina raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "And why is that?"

He let go of her hands. "Because you can't forget what you already know," he answered, rolling up his right sleeve. His right hand reached out for hers, and he gallantly dropped a kiss on her knuckles.

When his lips left her skin, she used her hand to turned his arm. With her other hand she traced the lion on his arm with the tip of her finger.

Of course, she would know. This was something she had known long before the first curse. She just never had the courage to acknowledge it before now.

Regina looked up in his eyes. Robin was smiling again, the gleam in his bright blue eyes still present. "What?" she puffed seemingly annoyed. She loved his sometimes-juvenile attitude, but she would never admit it out loud.

He took one step closer to her, wrapping his arms around her back. "Nothing", he chuckled. "I just hope your cursed self supports as much cleavage as you do." He tightened his hold on her, making her took in a breath, her chest rising as if on purpose. "Might be harder to keep me around without it," he whispered so close to her she could feel his breath on her skin.

She gaped at him for a full seven seconds before breaking into a grin of her own and closing the distance between them.

"_Did you ever go back and find him? The man with the lion tattoo?"_

Tinkerbel's question was ringing in her head as she stared at the lion tattooed on Robin Hood's forearm. The glass of whisky in his hands became blurry as fear overwhelmed her. It was him. Robin Hood was her true love. The one she had run away from all those years ago.

She never thought she would see him again. And there he was, offering her a drink, and she had forgotten how to breathe.

He said something, but it didn't register. She was too focused on one thing: getting out. Flirting had been easy when she didn't know. Now, it could have disastrous consequences. What if it didn't work? What if she did something wrong? Avoiding love was the only thing she truly knew how to do. It was the only safe thing to do if she wanted to preserve her heart.

She barely heard the thief calling after her as she ran out of the farmhouse.

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Please take two minutes to review? It's always appreciated. :)

Story title from Nat King Cole's song - _Somewhere Along the Way_. I suggest you listen to it. It fits those two really well if you believe they were in a relationship in FTL before the second curse.


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